Increasingly, they say the goal should be protecting women in the Senate from future harassment — but that doesn’t mean that Franken will avoid an Ethics Committee investigation or, potentially, a censure vote.

ADVERTISEMENT

But what happens to Franken — or Republican candidate Roy Moore, who is leading the Alabama Senate race — will be left to the Ethics panel and could take months to resolve.

In the short term, women in the Senate want to take quick action and fire a warning shot at colleagues and senior staff who they feel face little accountability for harassing behavior under the current rules.

The chamber unanimously passed a resolution co-sponsored by Klobuchar earlier this month that required all senators and staff to undergo sexual harassment training. But senators say more needs to be done.

“Our goal is to get bipartisan support in the next two weeks and to hopefully get a vote on it by the end of the year,” she said.

Her colleagues have yet to decide whether they need to pass a bill that requires President Trump›s signature or whether they can tackle the issue with a resolution that only needs to pass the upper chamber.

Stabenow said the procedures for dealing with allegations of sexual harassment “are not transparent” and don’t provide “enough support for victims and the people who come forward.”

Women — and men — who believe they are the victims of sexual harassment in Congress have to go through a lengthy process to lodge a complaint.

Victims have a relatively narrow window to bring a claim — 180 days — and then must undergo 30 days of mandatory counseling before opting for mediation.

The chief employment counsel would likely represent a lawmaker accused of harassment or an office accused of failing to take appropriate action.

A person filing a complaint would choose their own counsel.

A Senate aide familiar with the process, however, said the details vary by case and noted the opposing parties are free to decide their representation and other key details.

If mediation fails to reach a settlement, then the person must wait for 30 days before filing a lawsuit or demanding an administrative hearing.

“The process is crazy in that you have to wait up to 90 days to go to court. Most people think of that as burdensome,” said a Senate aide working on the issue.

Women senators say the rules are antiquated and biased.

“The rules were written years ago to protect powerful men,” said a senator who requested anonymity to avoid offending male colleagues.

Gillibrand’s bill would give victims more power by allowing them to choose how to resolve their complaint and by eliminating the requirement for counseling and mediation.

The measure would also establish a confidential adviser to consult with employees who may have been harassed or discriminated against and give the Office of Compliance authority to conduct interviews and gather evidence about possible harassment.

Another female senator said too many women who lodge complaints are treated in a way that is “not serious” and “not transparent.”

“The rules, frankly, were written to protect the people who are here,” she added. “Those are rules that are way outdated.”

Senators were appalled to learn, for example, that Conyers reportedly paid a large settlement to a staffer who accused him of harassment out of his Members’ Representational Allowance — a fund that is supposed to be used for official activities.